New Visitors
by EverlastingAutumnLeaves
Summary: Once upon a time, a lone wizard blessed four maidens with unimaginable power meant to be passed through the ages to help mankind. In a world in constant need of legends, four maidens will rise to fulfill their destiny...but not without consequences.
1. Fall (Trailer)

**_"Of all sad words of mouth or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'"_**

 ** _-John Greenleaf Whittier_**

* * *

CHING! CHING! CHING! The sounds of metal on metal echoed through the usually peaceful Forever Fall forest. The forest, just outside of the city of Vale, had trees that donned bright red, yellow, and orange colors associated with autumn all year round. The shattered moon, although barely visible due to the sunlight, hung over the forest, the only noises being the birds and the breeze going through the leaves. Except for one fraction of it, a small clearing where an outside force was stirring.

A mother and daughter sparring against each other. Although just for training, the daughter was determined to defeat her mother this time, ignoring the fact that she was one of the best huntresses in the world, meanwhile, she hadn't even graduated combat school.

The mother was Pyrrha Nikos, now under the last name Arc, a stunning woman who was famous for her exceptional skill on the battle field since a young age. She wore an outfit similar to a gladiator, with golden high heeled, knee high boots, a leather and gold corset-like chest plate, and golden armor that guarded her wrists. She also wore a red skirt, to match her long hair tied back in a ponytail that swung around with each flip and quick movement. She wasn't too competitive, always rewarding her daughter for her efforts with positive reinforcement. "Excellent form, Autumn! You'll be ready for Beacon in no time, I know it!"

"Yeah, and you should be ready to feel defeat once I graduate, just you wait!" The daughter, a young woman named Autumn, smirked. She donned a similar outfit to her mother, except more Celtic than Grecian. Her skirt was like a red, plaid kilt. She wore brown leather combat boots and a leather corset with golden accents on the neckline, back, and embroidered designs of maple leaves in the leather. Autumn's hair was a strawberry blonde that was the color of pumpkins, and was in a high ponytail as well. A long brown hood blew behind her, but it honestly got in the way in these kinds of fast paced battles with her mother.

In this fight, one minute it was speedy swordplay with javelins, the next, gun duels with the same weapons. Autumn was always better at the same style her mother used than any other style, a good old javelin and circular shield. Autumn liked training with her mother's weapons, Miló and Akoúo̱, so much, that Pyrrha got her her own set of a matching gold and red javelin and shield.

Autumn tried to resort to hand to hand combat with just kicks and elbows as much as possible, however. Pyrrha had something Autumn did not. She had her semblance, polarity, which allowed her to manipulate metal like a magnet once it touched her. Pyrrha was not one to go easy on her daughter, seeing that she needed to learn how to handle difficult semblances. Then again, no one can really quite beat polarity.

With every jump, slide, and tumble, fallen leaves sprayed up like sand after being kicked. Autumn wouldn't move her bright green eyes from Pyrrha, trying to decipher her next move, deeply hoping that this would be the day she finally discovered her semblance. Hopefully, it would be something even more powerful than Pyrrha's. Maybe then Autumn could finally defeat her. Autumn couldn't relish on these thoughts for too long, Pyrrha made sure of that with a shield toss or a javelin throw or a lunge towards Autumn's chest that she had to block. Pyrrha was strategic that way, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

Autumn admired her mother, Pyrrha. Her excellent form, her intelligence and amazing exemplification of the best battle strategies, her unbeatable semblance, and she looked amazing while doing it all. But, Autumn was thankful to have a teacher like her. An idol to strive for. That was one thing about Autumn people always pointed out. She was optimistic, seeing everything, even her own adversity, as a gift. She even reminded others of the gifts of life they take for granted. It was a special talent Autumn had since birth. She used her privileges and her pain to drive her in everything she did, and in this case, it was fighting Pyrrha.

Pyrrha ran towards Autumn, tried to jab her in the shoulder with her javelin, but Autumn dodged and left hooked Pyrrha in the face. Pyrrha didn't mind taking a few hits. It was all in a day's work for being a huntress, and raising one too. Pyrrha lifted her leg to kick Autumn in the neck, but Autumn ducked under and raised her own leg to kick while twirling back. Her right arm swung back during the twirl, shield ready to throw and jab in Pyrrha's stomach. They were close enough that Pyrrha couldn't do anything but take the hit.

Pyrrha grunted as she slid back a few feet away from Autumn. She looked up at her daughter, who had turned back around so that she was facing Pyrrha, twirling her javelin as a way to get ready. "Well done, Autumn. You're getting better! Maybe we'll see a semblance today, who knows?" Pyrrha said, smiling as if positive reinforcement took away from the fact she was about to win by using her semblance to propel her weapons towards Autumn at high speeds. Now that Pyrrha had both shields and her javelin on her side, Autumn was hoping for a miracle: a semblance.

Jaune, Autumn's father and Pyrrha's husband, was sitting against a tree watching the two women fight. He wasn't too muscular nowadays, but not as scrawny as when Pyrrha first met him. He had a youthful, kind face, even if his expression was most of the time an awkward one, and he had scruffy blonde hair, along with a little bit of facial hair of the same color growing on his chin. Surprisingly to most, Jaune was a huntsman too, although it took a bit to get him where he is today. He knew adversity well, and understood what Autumn was going through in not finding her semblance at the same time as everyone else in her class. "Um, Pyrrha, don't you think using your semblance against her is a little too much for her level?" Jaune stuttered, just loud enough for Pyrrha to hear.

"She's fine, Jaune. She's stronger than you think." Pyrrha gave Jaune a reassuring smile before she drew back both her arms, closed her eyes and threw the levitating weapons all in Autumn's direction.

Autumn froze in her spot. It was strange, for she hadn't gotten that nervous since her first day at combat school. Autumn knew this attack like the back of her hand, and yet she didn't dodge...she couldn't. It was like she was stuck in quicksand. The only thing she could do was use her javelin to block and hope for the best.

What happened next, Autumn had no idea whether to call it the best or the worst.

With a loud _WHOOSH_ and a blinding orange light, a beam similar to a comet suddenly came from out of nowhere, shaking more leaves off the trees before it hit Autumn in the chest, giving her a burning, yet strangely energetic sensation all over. Her eyes glowed with a silver and orange flame, and a fiery orb surrounded her, lifting her into the air for a few seconds before her body absorbed the fires and dropped her back down in front of Pyrrha and Jaune, who had run instantly to the scene to aid Autumn.

Pyrrha didn't want to admit it, but she knew what was happening. She remembered seeing it with her own eyes during the Battle of Beacon. Autumn had just been selected, selected to be the next Fall Maiden, just like Cinder was all those years ago. The thought terrified her greatly, but then again, a maiden was meant to be a symbol of safety and good, not the indescribable evil that Pyrrha associated it with.

Autumn, meanwhile, had no idea what had happened once she landed, and wasn't sure if she wanted to keep it that way or not. All that mattered was that she was safe, and that the match with Pyrrha was a draw, at best. She had minor injuries as well, just a few new scratches and a headache, which was surprising compared to the situation. Jaune and Pyrrha immediately slung Autumn's arms over their shoulders and lifted her to her feet, although she didn't really need the help.

"What happened? Is that what finding your semblance is supposed to look like?" Autumn asked as her parents started to carry her towards their horses, some of the only transportation that can carry people deep into the Forever Fall Forest.

Pyrrha and Jaune looked at each other and sighed in unison. "No. It's something much different." Pyrrha said, keeping her head down.

The rest of the day after that was just confusing. Autumn's parents took her straight into Vale, all the way to Beacon Academy. Autumn had no idea how she could go from the excitement about finding her semblance to feeling crushed at the news all her huntress training was for nothing. In all the books, the "special" girls were _meant_ to be heroes, not told to go into hiding and put their dreams on hold just to protect themselves.

Although she considered herself an adult, Autumn had to sit outside for most of her visit at Beacon while her parents arranged things with a small committee of protectors, a group of random people that would soon become the only friends she was allowed to have contact with. She twiddled her thumbs dismally as she sat against the wall across from the door to the room her parents were in. She jumped as the same door opened, and Pyrrha and Jaune stepped out.

"Hey." Autumn said quietly, standing up.

"Hey, Autumn...Uh...Pyrrha help me out here..." Jaune tried to speak before looking to Pyrrha, who sighed and placed her hands on Autumn's shoulder gently.

"Autumn...I remember being offered this same power, a long time ago. I had no idea what to think of it. I started to think that by accepting this, I was discarding who I was, my entire future, everything. It's scary to think about, I know. But, you'll figure it out. I know you will." Pyrrha explained reassuringly.

"But mom-" Autumn stuttered.

"You may not believe it now, but this is all a part of you. A part of your destiny. You just haven't realized it yet. This is a gift, Autumn." Pyrrha cupped Autumn's face in her hands. "I know you'll find a way to use it in ways no one else will ever have dreamed." Pyrrha smiled as she pushed Autumn's hair out of her face, then hugged her before taking her hand and leading her out of Beacon, to a new, and unexpected future.


	2. Spring (Trailer)

_**"I know why the Willow weeps and the leaves fall one by one, They know that evil never sleeps, and won't rest until the world comes undone."**_

* * *

"Be safe, Sakura!" An old rabbit Faunus woman shouted to her adoptive daughter as she sprinted away from their abode and across the snow-covered gardens, melting the snow and sprouting new flowers from dormant seeds with every footstep as she headed towards the forest outside their secluded farm far out in the Mistrel countryside. This was one of Sakura's favorite rituals, every year she would run out and start the great thaw of spring throughout Mistrel from the forest near her farm, then the wave soon sweeps the entire world like an unstoppable epidemic of blossoming life. It was Sakura's job as the Spring Maiden, and she found it fun, because it combined her two favorite things, frolicking through the woods and playing around with her powers. She had quickly grown attached to them, even though she had only been selected as a maiden two years ago when she was fifteen.

Sakura was a spritely, young, human maiden, skipping happily around the estate, always sporting brightly colored yukatas and kimonos as she did her farm work and tended her beloved garden, as well as the menagerie of animals she managed to befriend. For this special occasion, she wore a yellow-green yukata, a casual type of robe, a flower crown of lilies and roses, and a shiny, satin sash of sunshine yellow, an obi. She also carried a kinchaku, a small bag which held various seeds that she would throw out like confetti. Sakura's hair was shoulder length, nut brown with streaks of pastel pink and it bounced behind her as she ran into the forest. She had ivory skin that glistened with sweat in the no longer clouded Sun, that at the moment had glowing viridescent vine designs snaking up her arms as she used her powers. As she cleared the accumulated snow on the ground with her feet using graceful, dance-like movements as she leaped between the trees, she also waved her arms so that sparkling green magic flowed out of them like a strange mix of water and gas, which caused the once dead looking, dormant trees to grow their beautiful leaves. She would occasionally stop and drag her feet across the ground and move her arms fluidly, spreading more magic so that shrubs and bushes could grow. Sakura's movements while using her powers were as graceful and powerful as a ballet, and it was a sight to behold as the sea of white winter transformed into a lush ocean of green, and even from the farm, Sakura's Faunus guardian, Umber, could see the garden outside the windows flourishing with vibrant color, and the cherry blossom orchard's delicate flowers blooming on the once sickly looking branches. Not to mention, the spread of fresh grass that moved through the farmland, much to the livestock's pleasure.

Although she usually wore geta, a type of sandals, on her feet to contain her maiden powers, today was not the day for that. Her feet were the dirtiest they had been in months, and she liked it that way. They were being kissed by Mother Earth, and in return, she cleared the Earth's face of all snow and ice and replaced it with beautiful grass and wildflowers. As she covered the forest quickly, almost never running out of energy, she stopped by all the usual burrows and caves and woke up all the hibernating woodland creatures, and by the time she was almost finished, the forest, as well as the rest of the countryside, was alive with birds chirping and animals stirring. She called all the woodland animals by name and saw them as some of her best friends.

Sakura stopped at the end of her route, took a deep, energizing breath, and drew two bronze war fans from her obi. She called them her "wings", and rightfully so. With a little help from Sakura's original semblance before receiving her powers, Sakura spread her fans, outstretched her arms, and with one propelling flap and a giant leap, Sakura soared up to the top branch of a mighty tree that she happened to be standing next to. The canopy of the woods was so thick that a squirrel could make it across the entire biome without touching the ground, and Sakura opted to do the same. She balanced on the branch she landed on with ease, trusting in her powers to keep her afloat, before flapping her fans again and jumping off, gliding to another branch, and another, and another, quickly picking up speed as she howled and whooped with amusement. As she flew faster and faster, her legs kicking off each branch and trunk in her path with extraordinary force, she watched the trees and birds surrounding her whiz by in a blur. Sakura sometimes even did tricks like diving under or rising over branches as she gleefully commented "Alley-oop!" and "Geronimo!" before giggling loudly. Being a maiden wasn't a job to her, it was a revel, a game, and she didn't care if she played it recklessly.

As she screamed and hollered, Sakura had peace of mind. She knew that surrounding her property was an intense force of huntsmen and huntresses meant to guard her, and they were the most reliable humans, Faunus, and androids in Mistrel. She had lived on her farm her entire life, never leaving or seeing the world she was meant to protect. She only read the books that she was ordered to read by her guardian, and was taught many subjects as training for the maidenhood she was guaranteed to have, seeing as her mother was the previous Spring Maiden. Sakura had practiced every dance, every ritual, every fighting move and experimented with every power she possessed that was known and recorded until not even a single toe was out of place every time. Sakura lived a life of security and naivety, even though her guardian and even nature itself, her two mentors, knew better.

Sakura stopped on a branch to take a breath, her mouth being dry, her stomach turned inside out, and her arms overworked. Her rest periods usually weren't long, fearing the branches she landed on weren't stable enough to hold her for too long, but there was something that made her stay longer...and it wasn't her aching muscles. She folded and placed her war fans back in her obi.

"Yes, Ebony, I'm sure this is the right way to go. They sure didn't want us to find this place..." A feminine, but deep voice caught Sakura's attention.

"Well, yeah, this is where the Spring Maiden lives. You know, unimaginable power that everyone's tryin' to take?" A masculine voice, who Sakura assumed was named Ebony, replied. Sakura had no idea what he was talking about. People wanted her power? Sure, it was fun, but why would anyone want such a responsibility, or why would anyone go to this much trouble to obtain it? The thought then crossed her mind, what had become of the protectors assigned to her? Although she could only hear the intruders, she moved slowly and silently to try and find them, careful not to make them aware of her presence. Sakura already overestimated these two.

"It is difficult, but not impossible. All thanks to you, we managed to steal one of the four maps leading to each Maiden's location ever created. My mother once quoted a guardian of hers, that stealing is an art of patience, coordination, and in a pinch, slight of hand. And in our case, someone who can pull the strings of fate just a little bit." The feminine voice said. Sakura finally caught sight of the speakers, who looked small from her position, but she quietly jumped down so that she could get a closer look. The feminine voice belonged to a woman who looked only a few years older than her. She had red and grey hair done in a fluffy, yet messy pixie cut. Her complexion was dark, and her eyes stark grey, but they had a glint of malice to them, much like her confident smirk. Her outfit was mostly a dark, blood red with simple, yet elegant black designs of dragons and shurikens sewn into the silk-like crop top she was wearing and the cargo pants that were the color of ash. Strapped to her back was something of a long blade, and the woman kept her hands in her pockets at all costs.

Ebony, on the other hand, was a man who also looked similar in age to the woman, dressed in all black, leggings, tall and worn leather boots, and half-sleeved shirt. He had long, scruffy and thick hair like oil that was in a braid behind him. He also had dark skin, and he was a Faunus, with a long tail similar to that of a panther covered in obsidian fur. His cat-like, amber eyes and his grey utility belt that Sakura assumed had weapons in it were the only things that weren't black. Ebony didn't have pockets, but he kept his hands behind his back so that Sakura couldn't quite make out if he was holding anything.

"Ugh, are we there yet?" Ebony groaned as the two kept walking with Sakura stalking from the trees.

"No, you buffoon. I told you it was a long walk." The woman scoffed.

"Aw, come on, Crimson. Did you pack anything for me to eat? Or can we stop and rest?" Ebony begged. He was starting to sound like a child.

"For someone usually as reserved and respectable as you, I didn't expect you to be this chatty, or needy, on this venture." The woman, Crimson said.

"Alright, alright, I may be a thief, but I'm also an eater, who needs constant nourishment," Ebony said. Sakura tried to listen to their conversation but was quickly distracted by little things, like the twitching of Ebony's tail.

"I see that," Crimson said coldly as if she wasn't interested anymore before stopping.

"Are we stopping? Are you actually listening to me?" Ebony asked, stopping beside Crimson.

Crimson sharply shushed Ebony and held up her finger as a signal for silence. "How could I have not noticed it? The Spring Maiden has been here. Ebony, you idiot, your shenanigans have been distracting me from the task at hand! She was just here it seems, meaning that she will be heading back to her little bungalow soon." She closed her eyes and tilted her head down slowly before suddenly lifting it and opening them again. "Yes. She should jump down to confront us right about now."

Sakura was just about to jump, but hearing Crimson's observation made her hesitate, causing her to fall out of the trees in front of Crimson and Ebony rather and leap and land gracefully. She fell flat on her face with a few loose hanging leaves falling with her. Ebony jumped back with a startled, "Op." while Crimson simply smiled bigger.

"Interesting," Crimson said quietly. Sakura noticed from her view from the ground that neither Crimson or Ebony revealed their hands, even when startled.

Sakura jumped up, trying her hardest to act oblivious. "Konichiwa!" Sakura bowed to her 'guests'. "What brings you to Vernal Acres? We have a wide variety of products to sell if you have come for those..."

"Konichiwa." Crimson bowed back to Sakura.

"Konichi-what now?" Ebony asked, bewildered before getting kicked in the shins lightly by Crimson.

"We have not come for your cornucopia of goods, although rumored to be fantastic. If I wanted a harvest, I wouldn't have come to the master of seeds." Crimson said.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure? Seeds are the foundations of life. Even some ancient cultures believed that the Earth was planted into existence from the seeds of a God. You may say I only know how to handle goods at their beginning stages, but if you have the beginning, the end is at your fingertips as well, yes?"

"Yes, yes, I am aware of your philosophies. Seeds are also a good reminder how even the smallest of things, with enough care, can grow to be great. In fact, that's exactly why I'm here." Crimson's eyes moved to Sakura's obi. More importantly, the war fans inside. Crimson contemplated the past, present, and future all at once. Her mother once told her of the time she, her father, and their leader, Cinder Fall, ambushed a maiden with a carefully planned sneak attack. Crimson knew that she didn't have to do that, knowing that the Spring Maiden was still a naive little girl and that her second in command, Ebony, had a semblance that made every attack a sneak attack.

Crimson glanced at Ebony and blinked as a way to signal him. Ebony nodded before he shifted his hands as though he were turning a large wheel counterclockwise, which formed a large, white, black hole-like void that made the landscape pitch black in Sakura's eyes. In that short instance, she was blinded, but not numb to the unexpected pain that she was already experiencing. Quick, sudden blows to the chest, arms, legs, and face from an unknown force, probably both Crimson and Ebony...but what weapons? The blows felt like claws scraping through her yukata and through the skin so that blood ran down like rain on glass. Her entire body pulsed with pain and she could feel herself getting woozy from losing blood. Most people wouldn't dare to attack a Maiden, seeing them as immortal beings with unimaginable power, but Crimson knew better. Maidens were humans too, and could be killed like so, and she used this knowledge to not discourage her in battle. The only way to defeat a God was not to fear him.

Sakura struggled to grab her fans out of her obi, but when she did, she felt a newfound energy surge through her, and with that, she opened and sliced her fans through the air, cutting through the blackness and severing Ebony's semblance so that she may see again. Sakura could see that Crimson and Ebony wielded metal devices on their knuckles to make it so they had claws. The weapon was known as bagh naka, and it was a deadly melee weapon that humans could use to maul others like tigers, bears, or even Grimm. Crimson stayed back once she realized Sakura had regained her vision, but Ebony growled and sprinted towards Sakura, leaping to pounce before she waved her fans, forming a burst of wind that blew Ebony several feet into the air before his back slammed against the trunk of a tree and he fell to the ground. By now, Sakura's eyes glowed with green flame and the vine designs had crept up her arms and healed her wounds as she wielded her sparkling magic.

Ebony darted to Crimson's side, who closed her eyes and felt a sharp pain in her leg. This was her semblance, the ability to see into the future, but only through one sense. Sometimes it was a vision, other times a scent or sensation. After feeling the sensation of pain, she looked to Ebony, who dug into his belt and tossed four throwing knives to her. Crimson was a fast aim, whipping the knives at Sakura so quickly that they were only a blur with a slight luster against the background. However, Sakura blocked each one with a simple fan dance of opening and closing her weapons. Before Crimson could reach for the long blade on her back, Sakura crouched quickly, touched the ground, and dug her fingers into the soil. Ebony was clearly confused by this action, looking at his facial expression, but Crimson couldn't decide whether or not to retreat or stay the course, knowing that she and her partner's futures might be bleak. Sakura looked up at her opponents with anger as emerald light started to snake towards them.

Crimson chose a kamikaze attack, thinking that it would jump the track of fate. She drew her long blade and sprinted towards Sakura at full speed, but out from the emerald light, a bamboo stalk suddenly jutted diagonally from the dirt and cut right below Crimson's left knee. The bamboo pierced all the way through her leg and finished growing out the other side, skewering it completely. Crimson howled in pain, it was much worse than the pain she foretold, and couldn't stop tears from overflowing out of her eyes as she clutched it. Crimson was officially immobilized, and from the same light rose a large, thorny bramble that wrapped around Ebony like a giant python, slowly constricting him. He could feel and hear his bones breaking as he watched Sakura tighten her fists.

However, Sakura looked up at the pained faces of her opponents, gasped, and released her grip. She stood up and looked at the skewered Crimson, then to Ebony, who was still stuck in the bramble's trap. The two noticed that even the victor was about to cry.

It all came to her at once. How could she, the Spring Maiden, hurt the people she was meant to protect? How could she hurt anyone? Watching Crimson and Ebony meet their demise was enough to have guilt flood through Sakura, and the confrontation itself was enough to make her question everything she knew, everything she was told about the world around her, and even her own innocence. Her maiden powers died down as she stood up, took a deep breath, turned around, and used her fans to propel herself into the air again, leaving her attempted assassins to their own devices.


	3. Winter (Trailer)

_**"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was within me an invincible summer."**_

 _ **-Albert Camus**_

* * *

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

After trudging for hours through thick snow, kulning for their lost reindeer, sisters Yuki and Yama had no luck. The night had come on fast, as it usually did during winter in northern Atlas, and it was almost pitch black in the woodlands lining the mountains near their cabin and reindeer farm. The only way they could see was with the single, dying lantern that Yuki held in front of them. The lantern didn't show much, just a small bit of the path ahead of them and the gently falling snowflakes and the fires inside the lantern colored the snow orange. Their parents ordered them to return with the lost reindeer calf, or suffer the consequences, even if it meant losing a few toes to frostbite or getting devoured by wolves or Grimm. Yuki and Yama's father, a gruff arctic fox Faunus, was a strict man, a penny pincher who couldn't afford to lose a single reindeer in his herd, even a small, insignificant-seeming calf like the one the sisters were searching for.

Yuki, the eldest of the two sisters, was a peculiar, human maiden of fifteen. She was tall and lanky, taller than both her father and mother. She had skin and hair as white as the freshly fallen snow, and eyes to match, although they appeared red in some lights. She sported a navy blue gakti, an outfit consisting of a long dress, shawl, and boots all made of reindeer skin and silk, but the shawl and boots did have accents of white rabbit fur for extra warmth. In her spare time, which Yuki seemed to have lots of, she embroidered designs of snowflakes and flowers into the skirt, hem, and neckline of her dress in silver thread. Her pearly hair was tied in a tight, high bun, and her facial expression was always calm, but expressionless, and her eyes always looked like they were thinking on other matters. Yuki may have been present with Yama in the forest, but her mind was certainly someplace different. It always was somewhere else that no one could quite find. Her appearances weren't the only thing that drew attention to her. She was quiet, so quiet one might say she was mute, and she was always in a state of pure serenity, even in the face of tragedy. People often called her inhuman, apathetic, dead behind her eyes, and all sorts of things...mostly because the lack of soul carrying her corpse was enough to make her seem more like an apparition than a human.

Yama, the younger of them, was a frail, docile girl of only fourteen. She was the smallest in size and strength in her family, and yet, due to her Faunus heritage, a pair of fluffy, white, fox ears, she was forced to join her father in working in the Schnee Dust Mines for several hours of the day for little to no pay. Yama wore a wine-colored gakti over her malnourished and overworked body, with embroidery of leaves and mountain scenes done by Yuki in green thread. Her hair was dirty blonde, like her father's, and strapped in a long braid. Her skin was pale from lack of sunlight, but not the same alabaster as her sister's, and her face always looked afraid, or just plain miserable. She was a jumpy little girl, always fidgeting fearfully and trying to make herself small. It made sense, seeing how harsh the wardens of the mines were to their workers, especially ones who were too weak for their standards. As the two kept walking, Yama's eyes darted back and forth quickly, and she jumped at even the slightest of sounds, whereas Yuki was poised, almost regal, and her demeanor still as the mountains.

"At this point, the calf could be way up in the mountains by now." Yama groaned. "And it's already so cold outside." She wrapped her arms tighter around her small body, but it couldn't restrain her shivers and chattering teeth as the shattered moon continued to make its trek across the sky. Yuki put the lantern in her left hand and scooped Yama closer to her with her right arm.

"Be still, Yama. Kuln louder, and I'll do it too." Yuki said quietly. She only was ever talkative to Yama, but talkative for Yuki was still bare minimum.

"Yuki, I've been doing that for hours! _We've_ been doing that for hours! I mean, did father ever think about the Grimm? They're probably watching us right now, licking their lips and smiling with their horrible fangs." Yama said through chattered teeth as the sisters picked up their pace, aimlessly following what was ahead of their lantern and ignoring the burning red eyes appearing in the darkness surrounding them. Yuki loudly kulned, a call used to summon reindeer back to the herd, before Yama continued to talk. "I mean, our kulning is probably drawing them right to us!" She could feel her heart pounding against her rib cage like a beast desperate for freedom, and her anxiety was making her break into a cold sweat that felt just like the melted snow in her boots.

"Or maybe, it is drawing our missing calf right to us," Yuki suggested calmly.

"I'm too young to die, Yuki! And you are too! I'm turning around." Yama said, twirling on her heels before Yuki grabbed her shoulder firmly to stop her.

"No, we're not," Yuki said, looking straight into Yama's eyes. Yuki's eyes were intense, focused, and her eye contact unbreakable, whereas Yama couldn't keep decent contact for more than a second.

"Why not?" Yama pleaded.

"Because if we turn around now, we won't find the calf." Yuki shrugged.

"It's _gone!_ There's no use! Maybe you can ask Old Maid Winter when you go to her for tea, or whatever it is you do up there...but we're not going to find it tonight." Yama said in exasperation, shaking Yuki by her shoulders. Yuki's eyes looked to something behind Yama. She probably wasn't even listening.

"But, it's right there." Yuki stuttered quietly as she pointed a finger behind Yama. Yama whipped around to see the lost calf, tucked into a small nook between two giant tree roots. It was sleeping peacefully, but it occasionally shuddered as the snowy wind licked its brown fur.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Yama trotted over to sling the calf on her shoulders, then turned around as she asked the question. Yuki simply shrugged. "Of course," Yama said before the calf squirmed and bleated quietly. Yama shushed it and stroked its snout before walking back to Yuki. "Now let's get out of here." The two started to follow their old footprints back to their cabin, but they were interrupted by a low growling that amplified as more and more snarls joined into a frightening, cacophonous orchestra that quickly surrounded them, along with the shadows of horrible creatures in the light of their glowing red eyes and the small spark that was left of their lantern. "Yuki..."

Yuki backed closer to Yama, dug into her boot and pulled out a small dagger. It was nothing special, but she always carried it with her, just in case. Their lantern barely illuminated the forms of three Beowolves and two Ursi as they crept closer to them.

"Good idea. Stay close and be resourceful. That's what you meant when you did that, right?" Yama asked quietly and quickly, looking up at Yuki, who shrugged again. "Well, it's good advice, so I'm gonna follow it."

"No, you run. Take the calf with you, I'll fight them off." Yuki said.

"What? With that tiny blade? You know that huntsmen use dust and high powered weapons to fight off these things-"

"You're wasting time. Your window of opportunity is closing." Yuki interrupted sternly before pushing Yama away from her. "Go."

Yama nodded and started to sprint away from Yuki and the Grimm, carrying the reindeer calf with her as it bleated in fear and squirmed even more, trying to escape her grasp and run away on its own. Two of the three Beowolves started to follow, but before they could gather momentum, Yuki threw her lantern so that the glass could shatter on their necks and the flames could be released between the two of them. As the Grimm's forms caught fire, what was once small candlelight grew to a roaring fire on their backs until the two Beowolves collapsed, their bodies turning to black dust that evaporated away, leaving only glass shards, the frame of the lantern, and ashes. There was only one flaw to this attack; Yuki could no longer see anything except for the eyes of the Grimm, making battle increasingly difficult. All she could depend on were her other senses, the most valuable being her hearing.

Despite ridding herself of two of three Beowolves, she was still overwhelmed by the two Ursi that towered over her, and the third Beowolf, a more mature specimen. All that was left of the Grimm were older, more menacing. Yuki remembered their appearances from before her lantern was shattered. The Ursi, which were a type of Grimm that had the forms of giant bears, were larger, stronger, with paws that could probably rip a man in half. Their claws were long and sharp, like sabers, and they had bony spikes jutting out of their backs. Their faces, like all Grimm, were skeletal, and the rest of their bodies underneath the ivory armor was a thick, black substance, like oil. The Beowolf was just as tall as the Ursi, and it stood on its hind legs, with its upper legs dangling like arms that weighed down its posture so that it slouched just slightly. The Beowolf reminded Yuki of the trolls and goblins that were depicted often in fairy tales, from their slouch to their malicious grin to their long, bat-like ears that twitched and perked when they picked up the slightest of sounds, but the worst that could happen with trolls was maybe a missing sock or a pesky curse...with Grimm, it wasn't that simple, and not even as amusing as troll antics.

Yuki was silent. She didn't even grunt when one Ursa clawed her abdomen, knocking her into the snow before she rolled over and stabbed its paw with her knife. It growled and grunted, hobbling back, but Yuki's tiny blade was more of an over-itched mosquito bite to the Ursa rather than a legitimate wound. The Grimm could see her, but she liked to think that her quick reflexes and quiet stealthiness were making a difference. She had seen huntsmen and huntresses in action before when she had tea with her dear friend, Old Maid Winter, so she decided to stop exemplifying her horrible strategies of defense, and exercise decent offense. Yuki got into a stance similar to that of the huntsmen she watched, low to the ground, muscles calm, but not too calm, holding her weapon just the right distance between herself and the enemy, before she mustered enough energy to jump towards one of the two Ursi. It attempted to claw her out of the air, but missed, allowing Yuki to jab her knife into its chest like a grappling hook. She leaned closer to the handle of the knife so that she could hold her ground as the Ursa tried to shake her off. She pushed her blade further, then swung her other arm around the beast's neck before ripping out her knife and pulling her body up and on top of the Ursa's back, just like mounting a saddle.

Yuki didn't know of this, but Yama had stopped running once Yuki threw her lantern at the Grimm. She had watched her sister struggle through each blow from the Grimm, helpless to do anything. But, she felt proud as she saw Yuki use her head to wrestle one of the Ursi. The Ursa was quickly becoming more robust, moving frantically, trying to knock Yuki off its back, but to no avail. Yuki had squeezed her legs tight around the creature's flanks, and with one hand she gripped the scruff of the Ursa's neck, and with the other, she raised her dagger blade and dug it into the Ursa's skull, gritting her teeth as she pushed it in deeper and deeper until she started to lose the handle in the flesh. The Ursa's growls crescendoed suddenly into a roar, then dimmed just as quickly as the lights of its eyes. The towering beast toppled, Yuki with it, and they both landed face first into the pillow soft snow.

The second Ursa jumped to claw Yuki's back, but in a surprising burst of agility, Yuki rolled out of the way and jabbed her small blade into the Ursa's neck as it was leaning towards her. After pushing it in a ways, she tore it out and stuck it through the beast's bottom jaw while it was stunned. The Ursa's bottom jaw was surprisingly thin, so much so, that the blade went through it and burst out in the middle of the tongue, spraying a fountain of blood that quickly filled up in the Ursa's mouth. As soon as it fell to the ground, dead, Yuki saw it as a chance to run away, despite knowing that the last Beowolf would likely chase her, this time running on all fours.

She had not even run 200 feet before she saw Yama waiting for her. As she ran by, she seized Yama's hand and pulled her with her. Yama looked to Yuki, who gave her a half disappointed/half angry side glare as they sprinted as fast as they could, their footsteps, the pursuing Beowolf's growls, and the howling cries of the reindeer calf echoing through the forest.

"I know what you're gonna say...why aren't I miles away from you by now and then you're gonna say how risky staying there was and-" Yama glanced over at Yuki again, who wasn't even listening. She was too focused on running. "Or, you could just do that."

Running through the deep snow was already difficult, and the weather was not working in their favor either. What was once light snowfall was now hard, sleet-like precipitation. Strong winds whipped small ice pellets through the air that cut the skin on contact like knives. Yuki and Yama's vision was quickly compromised in the face of oncoming ice, but they knew to keep running until they reached their cabin. However, a question lingered in both Yuki and Yama's minds, once they reached the cabin, what then? They would have led the Beowolf to their abode. The running did nothing but delay the inevitable, but they were too afraid to stop and face the creature head on, although it seemed easy to just stop, feeling the Beowolf's breath that was the same temperature and had the same scent as a lukewarm corpse, on their backs.

The Beowolf wasn't going to let its prey escape. It stretched its stride and lunged for Yama, the smaller, weaker one. This Beowolf was wise, knowing that if the small human was killed, the larger one would attack and lose, all the same. These humans were weak and defenseless, and the Beowolf knew this. The claws of the Beowolf caught onto Yama's dress and dragged her down when the wolf pounced. The creature's attack was so powerful, that it ripped Yama's hand out of Yuki's grip. Yuki stopped and turned around to see her sister being dragged away by the Beowolf. The calf that was resting on her shoulders had already run away, but all Yuki could focus on was the shrill screams of Yama, who called Yuki's name repeatedly as she clawed the snow, trying to find a strong thing to hold on to under the thick white powder that was quickly being stained red as the Beowolf's talons scraped up her legs and made their way to her back. Yuki gripped her knife and started to sprint towards the wolf, but something stopped her.

Suddenly, a periwinkle light came out of the sky like a comet and struck Yuki. This blast stopped Yuki from reaching her sister as if it were a person restraining her. Yama screamed as she watched her sister and only hope of being saved be lifted up and hindered by this mysterious force, the falling snow swirling around her in a blinding mist as she levitated in the air. Yuki found that this force gave her a feeling similar to one she associated with Old Maid Winter, her friend whom she always meditated with and talked with. She was like a mentor, a parent even, to Yuki, and she found this strange feeling, this force, although it increased panic, oddly comforting, and the snow and periwinkle forcefield surrounding her was warm, and it gave her a surge of energy even after it dropped her back down.

The mysterious force had given Yuki new life, new energy, and new power to back her determination to save her sister, seeing as the whole event seemed to buy her some time. Both the Beowolf and Yama had stopped to watch this transformation, and Yama gawked at her older sister, who seemed unrecognizable now with eyes that glowed of turquoise flame, and as she ran towards Yama and the Beowolf, her hands glowed periwinkle, brighter and brighter, like she was summoning magic only heard of in legends. The weather seemed to obey her every whim. The snow stopped blowing in her path and her path alone, and ice caught her every footstep before she stopped just feet away from the Beowolf and Yama, and summoned a giant shard of ice, like a sword. It levitated above her and aimed straight for the Beowolf's chest. Yama wasn't even sure if Yuki was Yuki anymore...it was like she was possessed. Even so, whoever was possessing her cared somewhat about her safety, so Yama wasn't exactly complaining. Yuki gritted her teeth in an expression that Yama couldn't tell was a smile or a malicious grimace, and released her ice shard. It ran through the Beowolf, which exploded in a cloud of onyx dust on impact, and the shard shattered against the trunk of a tree, but not without knocking it down with its velocity.

After releasing the shard, Yuki fell into the snow like a puppet without strings. She was too tired to move, or think for that matter. Her limbs limp and numb, her head felt like it was being sat on, and her eyelids drooped as if she was going to fall asleep right there and never wake up. She caught a glimpse of her sister crawling towards her, using her arms to pull the rest of her wounded body to her savior. Yama grabbed Yuki's shawl and pulled herself to her knees. The two sisters looked at each other in a daze, but by now they could comprehend the situation.

"Yuki...what was that?" Yama asked. She was concerned but also exhausted.

"I...I don't know." Yuki's head drooped like it weighed more than her neck could bear.

"Let's just head home," Yama said as she rested her head on Yuki's chest. Despite Yuki's own exertion, she picked up Yama bridal style and carried her the rest of the way back to the cabin, the snow falling just as lightly as it did when that fateful night began...

 _Winter may be dead, but not all good things will be seeded in Spring._


	4. Summer (Trailer)

**_"_** ** _Under a hard season, fired up by the Sun, languishes man, languishes the flock and burns the pine, we hear the cuckoo's voice; then sweet songs of the turtledove and finch are heard. Soft breezes stir the air, but threatening the North Wind sweeps them suddenly aside. The shepherd trembles, fearing violent storms and his fate."_**

 ** _-Sonnet from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Concerto No.3, "Summer", Allegro non Molto_**

* * *

The air was warm and humid, muggy and buggy as summertime rolled into the small village outside of Vacuo. With a desert and small forest acting as borders, the village of Walking Hills rested on the grasslands on the other side of the no man's land they had for a border from the outside world. It had a population of about 200, all living in small huts made of sod or wood from the nearby forest. The Sun beat down on the village harshly, and although the adults saw it as tribulation for work, the children and teenagers saw it as the perfect day to play outside. The children were oblivious to adult affairs in the village, such as the news of a berry collecting mission going missing due to a Grimm attack in the woods. Some children were warned by their parents to stay inside as these rumors went around, but others simply chose not to.

One of those children was a fifteen-year-old maiden named Huo. She was an adventurous girl, fiery, passionate, and confident. She wasn't scared of any Grimm. She had never seen one in her lifetime, but they certainly didn't sound scary. In fact, Huo was certain she could probably take down Grimm easily. The elders in her community simply let her live these fantasies, not letting her know that not even they could handle a Creature of Grimm. Most of the villagers in Walking Hills didn't dress all that nice, seeing as they had to make their clothes from what little resources they had. Huo wore a simple outfit, an orange dress already dirtied from playing. She didn't have a fondness for shoes, preferring to wander around barefoot. Her hair was a dark brown, and it was poofy and curly. Her parents couldn't stand to brush it, seeing it as an untamable beast upon their daughter's head, so they just left it. In an attempt to get it under control, some of the other women in the village tried to wrap Huo's hair in colorful thread with charms on the ends. They only got to do one, wrapped in pink and yellow thread with the charm of a Nevermore on the end of it. As Huo ran through the village streets, her sights were set on the house of one of her best friends, a boy her age named Clay.

About 100 meters from Huo's family's house was the house of Clay and his family. Clay and Huo were total opposites, and Clay liked to think that the only reason Huo showed an interest in him was because she found his reactions to her methods of torture particularly amusing. On days like these, Clay knew that Huo would drag him outside of his safe haven of a house to play some infantile game under the hot Sun. While Huo found playing games with Clay fun, Clay saw it as torture, the worst form of it. He could hear her skipping footsteps, and he felt instantly overcome with dread. Even more so when Huo burst through the door, causing beams of sunlight to pierce the shadows of the empty house that Clay savored. He flinched at the light before Huo tackled him in a hug.

In the light was the only way to see Clay's physical form. He was a scrawny boy, and despite being born with the same dark skin tone as Huo, the lack of sunlight he received made him slightly paler. He preferred to keep his black hair short, with one fraction of it in a small braid. His mostly white and beige clothes were usually more pristine than Huo's, mostly because he never got them dirty after they were made. Clay's eyes were a sharp cognac, and they fidgeted as Huo grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him to his feet. He happened to be sitting in the darkest corner of the house.

"Good morning, Clay!" Huo smiled.

Clay sighed. "Good morning, Huo. What wonderful adventure do you have in store for me today? Oh, I can't wait." They said sarcastically, but Huo took it seriously.

"We're playing tag, obviously!" Huo said excitedly.

"You are the bane of my existence," Clay said, annoyed.

Huo's posture slumped. "Clay, come on. I don't understand why you are so desperate to watch the world from a window when the door to it is right by its side. There must be something fun you want to do! I mean, you used to hang out with me all the time, and now, it's like pulling teeth. Work with me here!"

"Well, when you put it like that...I don't know, I just don't like going out there. It's nice and safe in here. Besides, my parents said that there's a horde of Grimm heading this way. They could be here any minute!" Clay argued.

"I ain't scared of no Grimm! Watch, I'll kill 'em all in one punch, you'll see! I'll save everyone, especially you!" Huo said, pumping her chest out proudly.

"Huo, these things...my parents told me, that they _are_ fear. One look into their eyes and you see the flames of hell. Their bodies are made of the inky blackness of a starless night, and they are clad in armor of bone. They ravage and burn mercilessly, either swallowing you whole or ripping you to shreds, letting the remains burn in the fires and ruin they've left behind. And they're coming, right now, as we speak. You may be annoying, but I certainly don't want to see you die because of your ignorance. Stay inside, where it's safe." Clay placed his hands gently on Huo's shoulders and looked into her eyes with seriousness. Huo was speechless before the sounds of a horn echoed through the village. Huo and Clay ran over to the entrance of the bungalow and peeked out into the street to see one of the men of the village, recognized as one of the berry collectors, carrying another unconscious and bleeding woman bridal style while fumbling with a handmade horn of animal skin. His clothes were dirty, ripped, and stained with blood.

"Grimm! Brace yourselves!" The berry collector shouted before collapsing, being either too injured or exhausted to stand anymore. Huo and Clay met eyes, both expressions filled with fear. Huo was wrong, her confidence evaporated away and now was replaced with anxiety for the storm to come. She had no idea what Grimm were, but she quickly found out as a trio of Nevermores flew over the village, their screeches ear-splitting, and the speed and size of them shaking the bungalow violently. Dust and dirt fell from the ceiling like snow, and the sky darkened outside with oncoming clouds that seemed unexpected. More Nevermores flew overhead, shaking the bungalow once more as Clay dragged Huo back into the corner he came. They watched the attack from the doorway and window, the crowds of villagers running for their lives one way, only to be hindered by flying black daggers, Nevermore feathers, that zipped through them and struck down ten at a time instantly. Huo nestled herself closer to Clay.

He seemed surprised when he asked, "Huo?"

"I was wrong. I can't do this..." Huo whimpered, burying her head into Clay's chest.

"What do you mean?" Clay asked.

Huo looked back up at Clay, her face already stained with tears. She took a deep, sniffling breath. "I'm scared, Clay! Are you happy now? My parents, and my sister, they were all on that expedition, and that means they're all dead if the Grimm are here. Your parents were there too! We're the only ones left!"

Clay gulped and looked away from Huo, not letting her see him cry. Beowolves, Ursi, Creeps, and Griffons had stormed the streets now. Big ones, too. A giant Nevermore had smashed the house in front of Clay's house, and they watched idly by as it swallowed the entire family inside whole before taking off again. Within two hours of not being discovered, Huo and Clay had watched Griffons and Ursi tear apart the homes around them, then, with Beowolves, pounce and rip through every villager that ran by one by one, and as the waves raged on, the night drew near, and the flames spawned from knocked torches, and grew into blossoming lotuses of somewhat beautiful destruction.

Huo couldn't quite describe what she was feeling, fear, disappointment, despair, even depression and hopelessness knowing that she and Clay, whom she loved like a brother despite him constantly pushing her away, were going to die at the hands of this force, the Creatures of Grimm that she knew now she underestimated. Every violent death, every splatter of blood on the ground, every roaring, crackling flame engraved themselves in her memory, and no matter how tightly she closed her eyes, it was there. The fires that swept the land and burned in every creature's eyes, and the inky blackness of the night and the creatures' fur or feathers. Huo and Clay were suddenly startled, snapped out of their inner revelations by a loud thump on the roof of the house. More dirt fell on the floor and on Clay and Huo's heads in clumps as the thuds kept coming in a rhythm without any sort of pattern before the roof caved in over them. They both tried to escape, but the body of a Griffon landed right on top of Clay, taking him down and leaving Huo to run out without him.

She turned around instantly to see the Griffon accepting the prey it so easily had caught. It folded its wings and wagged its tail as it gripped Clay tenaciously with its paws. Huo ran in to try and pull Clay away, not letting the Griffon win that easily. Clay screamed, and his cries were the only sound Huo could hear at the moment. Everything became a blur around her as her vision focused on the Griffon and Clay. Clay called out to her for help, his words barely coherent due to his volume and the shakiness of his voice as tears ran down his face. Huo sprinted towards the creature and her friend and snatched Clay's hand, he held it out in hopes that she would grab it and for once, pull him outside willingly. He never before wanted to be outside his home so badly, but he desired it more than anything in those moments. Huo gripped his arm tight with two hands and pulled harder than ever before, but the Griffon fought back, spreading its wings and flapping them, expelling powerful winds with every beat. It lifted its front paws and gripped the legs of Clay with them, only using its hind legs and tail for balance. The Griffon growled at Huo, who's strength surprisingly matched it, but it wasn't so much strength. It was will, adrenaline, something that the Griffon was built to recognize. It was not fazed by this and decided to cease this pointless game of tug of war by releasing its grip on Clay for a split second before pouncing on him again, this time aiming for the shoulders so that he could not escape. The Griffon stole Clay's life without hesitation or any way to be hindered. It snapped Clay's neck and decapitated him by lodging his head in its beak and pulling upward before swallowing said head like a human would swallow a grape. It lifted its head as the skull slithered down its throat. It screeched in triumph before focusing back on Huo, its eyes burning into hers.

Huo couldn't take anything. Grief had elbowed her in the chest and left her breathless, fear twisted her stomach into Gordian knots and worst of all, her will had been compromised. She stood in the ruins of everything she had ever known, no family and no friends to support her. As she stared into the Griffon's eyes shakily, she realized that the dimensions of hell inside its beady pupils were not much worse than what she was experiencing. The Griffon stalked her now, its body low to the ground and its tail sweeping back and forth slowly. It was backing her into the flames of the debris behind her, and as the Griffon did this, more creatures surrounded her. Beowolves, Ursi, Creeps, all crowded around her. That's when she realized, she was the last one standing. The one who believed she would conquer these creatures would die at the claws of an entire army. The Grimm could smell this negativity, and they savored it like it was the finest perfume. Oh, how easy this was! Huo watched as the monsters surrounding her licked their lips.

 _This is it, this is the end. You wanted to see the world, and you got it. Ugh, why didn't I listen to Clay when he told me the world was cold and cruel? That spirit never mattered at all? I step outside the house and I'm no longer greeted with the Sun and a happy village…have I been this stupid all this time? I've been pretending that there are not things out there I can't defeat. I'm stupid, and I deserve to die for thinking that the world is anything other than ruthless, and unforgiving!_ Huo closed her eyes, bracing for the pain just before the void, but something else hit her. What was it? It was a strange force that absorbed the flames around her and circled her like a forcefield, an orb of fire that lifted her up out of the Grimm's reach. It empowered her, physically at least, giving her the same energy that she felt when stepping out into the sunlight every day. Her body siphoned the inferno that was her protection and she dropped back down into the horde of Grimm, but this time, she felt a tingling in her hands, one that wouldn't go away. This tingling made her chest feel relaxed like every breath was deep, and her stomach had that good ache, the kind that happened after laughing for a long time. Huo waved her right arm in front of her, and a whip of flames stretched out and sliced through a sixth of the pack of Grimm.

Huo had no idea what this was, and she didn't care. She continued to use flames to take out the Grimm around her until there was none left. Her hands burned after using these strange gifts, but she felt alert. She looked around, and the village was now empty. Just flames, corpses, debris, and black dust that slowly evaporated. After the burst of adrenaline she had just experienced, Huo soon felt grief and even loneliness once more. She sat down in the street and looked around, tears soon coming on and with then, a thunderstorm poured on the village, transforming it from a cesspool of raging disaster to simply wet ashes and smoke. It went from rage and excitement to depression, hopelessness, and lifelessness. Just like the swirling storm of Huo's emotions, confusion, trauma, sadness, wrath, the weather mirrored it with its booming thunder and occasional spouts of sharp, hot lightning. Huo sat all night like that, crying in a monsoon that drenched her in her sorrow more than her tears. But, no amount of water could drown them, or wash away the events of the night in the way that shrapnel and corpses slid away with the running mud.

* * *

 _ **Alas, his fears were justified,**_

 _ **The Heavens thunders and roar and with hail,**_

 _ **Cuts the head off the wheat and damages the grain.**_

 _ **-Sonnet from**_ **_Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Concerto No.3, "Summer", Presto_**


	5. Into the Woods

Although regarded as a time of beauty, of life and harvest, Autumn also knew that fall was a sign of impending decay. It was the final breaths of the forest, struggling against the dry cold, the rough rain and the merciless wind that batters it so. The trees ignite with fiery color as though set ablaze by the lightning of summer. Like so many things, nature is beautiful in its destruction. People from all over the world admire the autumn colors and wonder at their beauty without even giving it a second thought. Autumn liked the trees in fall, they made her smile, and it was this happiness that suffused her that reminded her of a wise man's words, that there is no futility, even in death.

The sky was dark with grey clouds, ominously suggesting icy downpour. The wind blew and the trees bowed to its command, their leaves making sounds resembling waves crashing as they moved. A few leaves, crippled and dark brown with decay, finally let go of their branches and fell to the ground as ashes from the flames of the other leaves. These ashes crunched under Autumn's horse's hooves.

Her daily hikes and rides were the only time she could really go outside. Autumn's parents were extremely protective of her, especially in her condition. She would dress up just to visit the forest creatures in a red corset with golden accents on the neckline, back, and embroidered designs, a short orange skirt and tall, golden high heeled boots, but she concealed her face and long strawberry blonde hair underneath a brown hood that draped over the back of her horse and stopped just above its tail. She also kept a javelin and shield on her back, underneath the hood, just in case. They were her mother's weapons, Miló and Akoúo̱, and she knew that under the circumstances, Autumn had to be ready for anything. Autumn hummed as she looked around, alone with her thoughts as she breathed in the rain-smelling air.

Meanwhile, just a few miles from the trail Autumn trekked, another girl was going for a stroll. In fact, it was more so a hunt. With her multi-action dust katana that was also a sniper, this girl was just weeks away from getting into the huntress academy of her dreams: Beacon. She had to be ready for whatever came her way, no matter how grim it may be. Her parents not only had to learn how to fight the Creatures of Grimm, but also take down an entire intricate crime network and save the very school they were attending from chaos. Who knows what she might encounter at Beacon this time?

The girl stopped at the sound of rustling in the bushes surrounding her. The storm clouds made it even harder to see in the thick forest. It was always a forest. She was told by her parents, who had both attended Beacon, that the initiation test took place in a woodland setting, so she had to be prepared. The low growls of Grimm caught the girl's ears. They sounded close. She drew her katana and loaded up a few rounds in the sniper part of it. She was an easy to find target with her bright red hood flapping behind her like a flag, which bore the well-known snowflake symbol only used by a Schnee. Her silver eyes darted around her only to see the bright, glowing red eyes of at least ten Beowolves creeping up on her from the darkness of the forest.

With a deafening crash of thunder and a blinding flash of lightning, the Beowolves had come out of the bushes and were sniffing the air, growling sinisterly before howling in unison, calling more wolves to their prey, as if there weren't enough.

Autumn heard the howls and perked at the sound. Her horse was spooked as well, pounding its hooves nervously on the dirt and flicking its ears to catch and identify the noise. Autumn shushed her horse with a few calming whispers before grabbing the reigns and starting to canter towards the howls. She stopped in a brief moment of hesitation.

 _Remember what Glynda said._ Autumn thought as she stopped and stared at her palms, calloused and scarred from farm work, huntress training, and the few times she had used her powers.

 _"It is the obligation of a young maiden to avoid revealing herself to the public, at any cost, until it is needed,"_ Autumn remembered the day, Glynda held her by the shoulders and lectured her for a solemn ten minutes about what not to do.

"Until it is needed," Autumn whispered before hearing another echoing howl. She looked behind her and remembered the weapons on her back. _I don't even have to use my powers. I can just fight like a normal person._ Autumn thought before urging her horse towards the sound at a full on gallop, the wind blowing the hood off her head, allowing her hair to blow with her cape.

The girl looked up at the sky and soon felt the rain come down on the forest in a hard downpour. The Beowolves didn't care as they pounced on her all at once. Luckily, she was ready with her Katana. She remembered what her parents taught her, prepared a dust cartridge, and jabbed her katana in the ground, forming a ring of ice spikes around her. It hindered the first wolf wave, but she knew there were many more to come. The girl was surprised that she didn't freeze or tense up at the mere sight of her enemy.

 _"Now, Osiria, you mustn't get too nervous. Fighting should be as loose as breathing, even if you're battling against an enemy who knocks your breath away."_ She remembered her mother, Weiss, say.

 _"Have you ever had to do that?"_ The girl, Osiria, recalled responding.

 _"Multiple times. But you can't let that stop you. Grimm don't care if you're nervous or if it's your first time, they just kill. You have to rise above fear in battle."_ Weiss replied.

 _"We wouldn't want you to get gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?"_ Osiria's aunt, Yang, responded in a mock accent before bursting out laughing. Osiria never really got that joke.

Another Beowolf attempted to claw Osiria, which she stabbed until limp and threw the corpse onto three other Beowolves before converting her Katana in a sniper and taking out six wolves one by one with simple, fiery dust cartridges. The previous howls had worked, and it seemed like the horde of Beowolves was never ending.

These Grimm were young. Osiria could tell by their simple, but not any less frightening appearance and impulsive attacks. All Grimm seemed to made of a strange, unidentifiable black substance. Was it like oil, fur, shadow, dust, or all four? Their skulls were white and they grew bone-like armor in certain places as they aged, sometimes even having ivory spikes jutting from their backs. That is, if they ever reached that point. Weiss told Osiria that younger Grimm are more impulsive, driven only by their desire to feed and not experienced enough to create any sort of strategy or recognize enemies that are too difficult to defeat. They just attack and are easier to kill, if there is a such thing as an easy Grimm. Older ones, on the other hand, are wiser and stronger, growing to be multiple times bigger than a human and smart enough to wait for the precise moment to pounce, or the moment when the most panicked humans are collected in one place.

As Osiria kept fighting, she kept feeling like her style wasn't as impressive as her parents or the rest of her family. She knew that backflips and cool semblances weren't all a huntress was, but it certainly would make her storytelling more bombastic. She had actually never used her semblance before. Osiria didn't even know what it was and didn't dare to ask her parents. As if they would know anyway.

Autumn could hear the gunshots and growling Beowolves louder than the thunder and rain now as she slowed her horse to get a better look at the girl who was fighting them off. The red hood stood out the most, and Autumn immediately thought of one of her family's friends. "Ruby?" She whispered, perplexed before she whirled around and revealed the Schnee symbol on her cape. That was even more confusing. "Schnee? That can't be Weiss, can it?"

Autumn's horse whinnied nervously before she pet it and shushed it again, trying not to distract the approaching Beowolves just yet. About ten of them were left, and Osiria could count that she had faced twenty already. Autumn slowly pulled her javelin and shield from her back, although unsure whether or not to reveal to Weiss, if it even was her, that she, a maiden, had the audacity to fight Grimm.

The mysterious girl turned in the direction of Autumn, showing her face, silver eyes and red and white hair. _Nope, not Ruby or Weiss, I'm going for it._ Autumn thought to herself before tying her horse to a tree with rope she had handy and sprinting to the scene.

Osiria was too busy trying not to get nervous, heeding her mother's advice as she used more dust attacks. She caught Autumn out of the corner of her eye and had to do a double-take of the girl. With a few ducks and rolls, and a boomerang throw of her javelin she destroyed three Beowolves with excellent form. The rest of the wolves turned from Osiria to face the new contender.

Autumn stumbled back in fear of the small pack, dropping her javelin and shield in shock. She clearly underestimated her abilities, and being cornered was enough to make her nervous. If she died there, who would take her place? And what would her parents think? As they all jumped to pounce her, Autumn accidentally summoned a giant fireball and charred the entire group of wolves to ash and dust, leaving only her and the hooded huntress, who had stopped to watch her when the wolves ganged up on her.

Osiria gawked at what she just saw. "Who are you?" She asked breathlessly.

Autumn gasped at her accidental use of her powers. She seemed in an anxious trance before the hooded huntress spoke, her eyes burning with a silver flame before quickly dying out with a blink. "Sorry! I-I didn't mean to intervene, I just thought you might have needed some help..." She stuttered before frantically putting her hood back up, picking up her weapons and strapping them behind her. The storm had died to a simple drizzle now.

"No, no! It's okay! Although, I could've easily handled it on my own." Osiria took down her own hood and smiled at Autumn. "I'm Osiria."

Autumn moved slowly towards her, holding out her hand slightly, but not all the way. It was shaking, like the rest of her body. "Autumn." She said before Osiria grabbed the timidly held hand of Autumn and shook it.

"That's a pretty cool semblance you've got there. Fire powers. Interesting." Osiria said.

"S-Semblance? Oh, yeah. I guess so." Autumn replied. "You're training to be a huntress?" Autumn's eyes moved to the katana Osiria was holding in her left hand.

"Yep! I get to go to Beacon in the fall. That's why I'm out here, to get ready for whatever happens when I get there!" Osiria said eagerly.

Autumn chuckled before speaking. "You're lucky. Being a huntress sounds amazing." She looked up wistfully, reminiscing the stories her parents used to tell her about fighting Grimm, being a hero who actually did something instead of hiding and letting things happen for their own protection. It was a dream she had had since she was a child, even before she was selected.

"You're not a huntress? I could've sworn you were by your fighting skills. I was getting ready to ask if you were enrolled anywhere in the fall." Osiria seemed surprised.

"No, I can't be. Too big of a risk, I guess. It wouldn't go well past the committee that I have to protect me." Autumn sighed.

"Oh, well, your family means well, I'm sure." Autumn's identity didn't seem to click for Osiria, luckily.

"And your family? I know you're not the only huntress in your family, but I still hear it's a rarity. Most Schnees go into the dust business." Autumn tilted her head.

Osiria smiled. "Both my parents are huntresses, and my last name is Rose, actually."

"But your cape-"

"It's my mom's symbol. Well, one of them. I have two moms, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. Sure, being a huntress isn't really one-half of my family's business, but if my parents are great huntresses, then why can't I try to be?"

"Hmm. My parents are in the Grimm hunting business as well."

"Who are they? Maybe I've heard of them?"

"Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos."

"Oh! My parents know them! I had no idea they had a daughter." Osiria was dumbfounded by it all. Why wouldn't her parents tell her about Autumn?

"I had no idea Ruby and Weiss had a daughter either," Autumn mumbled. It was all coming together for her. The red hood, the Schnee symbol, the silver eyes. She felt herself shake again. Maybe she shouldn't be conversing with this girl. She shouldn't have intervened with her battle in the first place. "But then again, I don't get out much." Autumn shrugged.

"Enough about our families." Osiria sat down on the ground and beckoned Autumn to sit with her. "I want to know more about you."

"Are you sure? More Grimm could come back..." Autumn said nervously, looking around before Osiria grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down. The storm had cleared by now, with the sun shining brightly with only a few cumulus clouds.

"I can fight them off, and I know you can too." Osiria winked and grinned. "If you're not a huntress, what are you? No one has fighting talent and a semblance like yours and doesn't go into some sort of career that doesn't involve using it."

"Well, um, I don't know. I dabble in everything." Autumn shrugged. It was a lie, but it was still somewhat true.

"I wish you could be a huntress with me. Then I would have a friend at Beacon. You'd be at the top of your class too. We'd be the smartest, most popular girls in school." Osiria seemed to smile even bigger.

Autumn giggled. "No, you'd be the smartest, most popular girl in school. I'll just be...famous by association."

"Until they see your semblance! You'll be a real _hot_ topic." Osiria winked.

Autumn laughed. She felt giddy to have made a friend, and she wished she could show her all of her powers. Wouldn't she be amazed? Wind and fire, storms and ice! But, Autumn kept that reserved. "Right."

"I'm serious!" Osiria said, punching Autumn on the shoulder. "You shouldn't doubt yourself so much. You really are cool."

Autumn blushed and didn't make eye contact with Osiria, who before was staring deeply into Autumn's green eyes.

"Hey, where are you from? I can visit you and we can hang out! It'll be nice to have a friend in Vale. I have some at Signal, but they don't really... _want_ to be my friend. I can totally tell they're there for the Schnee status. You didn't even know who I was, and you still want to be pals! I can't pass up something like that!" Osiria said perkily, smiling big and jumping with excitement.

Autumn felt a sinking feeling in her chest. Was she allowed to reveal her location to Osiria? She was so nice and eager, and Autumn wanted to be friends with her so bad, but...that wouldn't go well past the committee. "I live a few miles from here in a cabin in the woods. I can't really come up with an address, but-" Autumn explained. _Who cares what they think? I'm sure I can make ends meet with this._ Autumn smiled at the thought.

"You could show me, right? Or would that be wrong? It's kind of impromptu, and rude, to come in unannounced. My parents didn't raise me that way, gosh, what am I thinking?" Osiria rambled awkwardly. "I guess I just got, excited."

Autumn lightly shrugged. "Me too."

"How 'bout this?" Osiria snapped her fingers in realization. "We can meet right here, and we can hunt Grimm together! Every day, just you and me! At least, until I go off to Beacon. You can be a huntress for a few hours, and I can train for school."

"Sounds great," Autumn said.

Osiria stood up and took Autumn with her by holding her hand and pulling her up. "Until then."

"It was nice to meet you," Autumn said.

"You too. And thanks for helping me! I truly am thankful to have met you!" Osiria shouted as she waved to Autumn. The two quickly parted ways, Autumn going towards her horse and Osiria following the path she came from.

Once Autumn got back behind the tree where her horse was, she smiled mischievously, yet excitedly as she untied her horse, mounted it, and took off towards the trail and back home, contemplating the encounter that day.

* * *

 **Crap I don't have a quote!**

 **For those of you new to my work, I usually have a quote to begin my author's notes.**

 **I can finally talk now! Hey, and welcome to New Visitors! It originally started as an AU in my compilation of RWBY drabbles,** ** _Remnants of Shattered Legends,_** **but it was actually the composition of this chapter (and the ideas for the other ladies in the trailers) that gave me the idea to take it a bit farther. Hope ya'll continue to go on this journey with me! And reviews are always appreciated! I can always improve somewhere!**

 **In case you're new to this AU or if my description in ROSL was really vague, in this AU, Pyrrha isn't chosen for the aura transfer from Amber, and Cinder does become the Fall Maiden, but Pyrrha doesn't go after her until later. Cinder is eventually killed by Team RWBY (or however the plot ends in the actual show) but she thinks of Ozpin, not her attackers. This leaves the maiden selection to be random. The next maiden dies in the arms of her male partner, and the selection picks a young Autumn, as seen in the Fall Trailer.**

 **In this sketch, her being selected is fairly recent, and she actually had aspirations to be a huntress for most of her life until she was discovered to be the next Fall Maiden, which is why she is so proficient in fighting with her mother's weapons (She would use that scepter Amber had but that kinda screams "Hey I'm the Fall Maiden please kill me" and it's a little over the top.) . Now, a group made up of an aging Glynda Goodwitch, Jaune and Pyrrha Arc, Ruby and Weiss Rose, Qrow Branwen, General Ironwood, and Yang, are her protectors, as well as the "Anti-Salem Group" that Ozpin led before.**

 **Autumn doesn't get out much anymore, for her own protection, and her dreams of being a huntress have been put on hold, forever. Autumn spends her time gardening, cooking, DIYing, anything to pass the time, along with outdoor activities and sports, and of course, huntress training. However, all her life, whenever she encounters people, she makes them recognize life's gifts and be thankful without even using her powers, just like a maiden is supposed to do.**

 **I imagine being a maiden as being like the Avatar. At a young age, you are thrust into a birthright you can't escape and although you may have great power, it comes with an even greater responsibility. Autumn still thinks that if she took the risk and revealed her powers to the world, she could help it in ways beyond normal understanding.**

 **In this AU, Autumn has actually met Osiria (The WhiteRose NextGen prominently featured in ROSL) before. They become good friends, but their parents don't know. Osiria is like Ruby when she met Weiss, so eager to have a friend she doesn't know what to do with herself. And Autumn feels similar, but she is just a lot better than containing it. These two will spend a lot of time together these next few chapters, and Osiria is the one that proposes forming some sort of team, much like the famous Team RWBY that everyone knows and loves.**

 **What does everyone think of this story so far? Should I continue it? Let me know in the reviews!**


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